Toledo Public Schools is inviting jobseekers to get behind the wheel of a school bus at a recruitment event on Thursday.

The hiring event, from 4 to 7 p.m. at the TPS Transportation Garage at 5600 Hill Ave., will include on-site interviews for people interested in becoming a bus driver for the district, officials said.

Applicants will also have the opportuntiy to drive a bus around the transportation grounds to get a feel for the job before applying.

Interviewees should bring their driver’s license and their social security card.

To be eligible, drivers must be at least 21 years old and have had their driver’s license for at least two years. They should have a clean driving record with no DUIs in the last 10 years and no suspensions in the last three years.

The district offers paid training, full benefits including medical, dental, and vision coverage, paid vacation, a pension, and an eight-hour daily schedule.

When Lisa Tucker walked into Dr. Roger Kruse’s office in October with an Achilles heel swollen to the size of a tennis ball and told him she still wanted to run the Boston marathon in April with her sister, Dr. Kruse did not think it would be possible.

Mrs. Tucker, however, was determined. 

“It’ll be okay,” she had said. 

Her sister, Theresa Gonzales, would be celebrating her 50th birthday on the day of the race, and Mrs. Tucker was intent on running with her.

“She runs outside of her body,” Mrs. Gonzales said. “She feels no pain.”

The two sisters have long and complicated histories with the Boston marathon. Mrs. Gonzales ran the race in 2013, the year of the Boston marathon bombing. Mrs. Tucker ran in 2017 during the hottest year on record for the race.

When the first bomb went off in 2013, Mrs. Gonzales was close enough to the blast to feel the ground shake beneath her feet. Within a week of returning home, however, she had made up her mind — she was going to return. 

“I was going to rewrite my story,” she said. 

Mrs. Tucker felt similarly about her own experience, but she wanted to do it with her sister. 

“I’m not going without you,” Mrs. Gonzales recalled her sister saying at the time.  

The sisters began running while at Start High School and fell in love with the sport, saying that running has saved them in more ways than one. It also helped them cope with their father’s death in 2015.

“It got us through hard times. I mean, it’s brought a lot of joy, and we just want to help the next generation find a love for it,” Mrs. Gonzales said.

Today Mrs. Gonzales coaches track at McCord Junior High while Mrs. Tucker coaches high school track and cross country at Sylvania Southview. 

As athletes, the two are no stranger to endurance — a family trait they said they inherited from both of their parents, but especially their father. A Vietnam war veteran, their father suffered a severe injury to his arm and partial loss of his hearing during the war.

“He never complained and he never made excuses,” Mrs. Tucker said. 

Mrs. Tucker was used to going fast, used to enduring through the pain. But healing her injury in time for the marathon required a different kind of resilience — the ability to slow down. 

From October through Jan. 1, Mrs. Tucker was not allowed to run an inch. It was being able to coach and attend state track and cross country meets that got her through those long fall and winter months, she said. 

When she started to train again, her sister was there every step of the way. At the time Mrs. Gonzales was living just outside of Ann Arbor, but she made the two-hour drive every month just to train with her sister.

On days when Mrs. Gonzales was not able to make the drive down, she would call Mrs. Tucker, asking “How did it go today?” and always telling her, “You got this.” The two would spend their entire two to three-hour training sessions on the phone with one another.

When Mrs. Tucker first stepped into Dr. Kruse’s office in October, her achilles heel was so injured that his first instinct was to recommend surgery. Mrs. Tucker said that was not going to work — she had to run in April.

Instead, Dr. Kruse suggested a special procedure offered by his practice at ProMedica Wildwood Orthopaedic and Spine Hospital: platelet-rich-plasma, a therapy that uses a person’s own blood in order to accelerate healing. 

ProMedica has its own lab where they are able to concentrate the platelets at a much higher rate that machines can, making their treatment extremely efficient and effective. ProMedica’s therapy is what allowed Mrs. Tucker to heal so quickly and run again as soon as April. 

“I was amazed how well she did, because it was so bad,” Dr. Kruse said. “I think this is the neatest part of the story, that she’s able to continue to run for the rest of her life.”

The sisters ran in separate waves in the marathon, with Mrs. Tucker finishing before Mrs. Gonzales. When Mrs. Gonzales reached the finish line she saw Mrs. Tucker there, waiting for her, wrapped in a blanket with a medal draped around her neck.

“Yep, still there. OK, she’s got two feet, thank you very much,” Mrs. Gonzales recalled thinking about her sister when she crossed the finish line.

After the race they sat together on the Boston subway floor, where they found a sign that read, “Finish your story.”

A former Maumee doctor previously convicted of six felony counts of health-care fraud received a misdemeanor sentence for time already served after she successfully appealed her jury trial’s outcome.

The U.S. 6th Circuit Court of Appeals found last year that U.S. District Judge Jack Zouhary had erred when he instructed the jury about the meaning of a “willful” act and also by allowing testimony stating that Medicare regulations required in-person consultations for the orthotic braces Ankita Singh, now 43, had prescribed for patients.

After receiving the case on remand, Judge Zouhary reviewed a plea bargain struck after local federal prosecutors first filed an amended indictment that added even more charges to the case. Under that deal, Dr. Singh pleaded guilty to a single misdemeanor count of wrongful disclosure of individually identifiable health information and agreed to pay $400,000 in restitution to Medicare.

She had already served 10 months of a 26-month term she had received for the overturned convictions.

“The charges against Dr. Singh were wrong and the result of a significantly flawed investigation, but fortunately the 6th Circuit overturned the conviction based on serious legal errors in the trial,” Stephen Lee, Dr. Singh’s appellate defense lawyer, said Wednesday morning. 

“We are grateful that this long ordeal is finally over for Dr. Singh and that she can now move forward and resume what she has always been committed to doing — caring for patients and serving her community,” said Mr. Lee, who is based in Chicago.

One obstacle she still must overcome, the lawyer added, is that Medicare has not restored her ability to work with its patients.

Dr. Singh accepted the misdemeanor charge, Mr. Lee’s sentencing brief said, because while she believed she would be acquitted of all charges at a new trial, eliminating even the slightest chance of a felony conviction mattered to her because she would likely be deported after such a conviction.

Dr. Singh, who moved to Arizona before her arrest, is a lawful permanent resident of the United States and is the married mother of two children. While her license to practice medicine in Ohio has expired, she remains licensed in Arizona.

Mr. Lee said Dr. Singh was treated differently than other doctors in the case, and would have been willing to pay a greater civil penalty had prosecutors not insisted on criminal charges.

The circuit court issued its ruling just eight days after hearing oral arguments, which Mr. Lee said was unusually fast. But instead of dropping the charges, federal prosecutors added 16 new counts in a superseding indictment.

“The government’s conduct in this regard raises serious concerns about a vindictive prosecution in violation of Dr. Singh’s due-process rights,” Mr. Lee wrote in a memorandum defending the plea agreement.

A U.S. Department of Justice spokesman did not respond Wednesday to a request for comment about the case.

Dr. Singh did not know, her defense argued on appeal, that patient medical reports she reviewed on behalf of two “telehealth” companies between 2019 and 2021 were fraudulent, and that meant that she was not “willful” when she signed off on the braces’ prescriptions.

And while Medicare rules required prescribing doctors to see patients in-person by the time her case went to trial in February, 2024, that was not true during the years she moonlighted working for several “telemedicine” companies whose principals also were charged in the case.

Dr. Singh reviewed medical charts for about 3,000 patients identified by those two companies and had no reason to believe that information was fake, her defense argued. When she received an alert in 2021 that the situation might be corrupt, she immediately stopped handling that work.

More than $8 million was billed to Medicare under the scheme for patients whose cases Dr. Singh reviewed and $4,470,931.02 was paid out. She received $10 to $20 for each chart she reviewed.

The owner of a dog that attacked a mother at Whiteford Elementary School apologized Wednesday before a Sylvania judge spared him jail time.

Nikai Roberts, 39, of the 4700 block of Whiteford Road, apologized to Reem Kashen, 36, who was attacked by a Rottweiler while she was with her 3-year-old son in December. 

Before he was sentenced, Mr. Roberts said the incident was the result of an “unfortunate mistake” and that he has sent flowers to Ms. Kashen’s home to express his remorse. 

“I’m very sorry,” he said.

Mr. Roberts was sentenced to 170 days in jail, with all of that time suspended with probationary conditions, Municipal Court Judge Michael Bonfiglio ruled.  

“I want to make sure this never happens to anybody,” Judge Bonfiglio said. “The fact that you’re so close to a school and that you still have another dog, which is the same breed, I believe, actually raises great concern.” 

Mr. Roberts is prohibited from getting any new dogs for one year but will be allowed to keep his current dog, Blaze. He’ll be required to provide up-to-date documentation of his dog license and vaccination records to his probation officer and Lucas County Canine Care & Control. 

Mr. Roberts surrendered the dog involved in the attack eight days after the incident, and that dog was killed.

Mr. Roberts will also be subject to monthly home visits by Lucas County Canine Care & Control, Judge Bonfiglio said. Blaze must be kept in a locked fence area and be on a leash when he’s outside. 

Mr. Roberts was also ordered to pay $250 in court fees. 

“I’ve read your statement,” the judge said. “It’s clear you’re remorseful about what happened, and I’m going to ask you to put that in writing. I’ll have you write a letter to Reem Kashen and submit that to probation.”

Mr. Roberts’ lawyer, Scott Schwab, asked the judge to consider that Mr. Roberts works as a bus driver and volunteers for Connecting Kids to Meals. 

Ms. Kashen declined to comment on Mr. Roberts’ sentence. She was present for the sentencing but did not make a statement. 

Her attorney, Kayleigh Summerville, said Ms. Kashen has filed a homeowners insurance claim, which is still pending. Since the claim is still being assessed, it is yet to be determined whether Ms. Kashen will take further legal action, she said. 

“We’d love to resolve it without litigation, but if we can’t get it resolved at a reasonable figure, then we [might] have to,” she said. 

The Toledo Lucas County Public Library will host a talk about the U.S. immigration system on Tuesday. 

Ask Us About the U.S. Immigration System is a panel discussion that will cover pathways to permanent residency and U.S. citizenship, the structure of immigration courts and enforcement systems, and strategies for navigating common legal challenges. 

The discussion will be from 5 to 7 p.m. at the main library, 325 N. Michigan St.

Panelists will include Eugenio Mollo Jr., clinical associate professor of law and director of the Immigrant Justice Clinic at the University of Toledo college of law; Dr. Kefa Otiso, professor of geography at Bowling Green State University and member of the New African Immigrant Commission of Ohio; and Mechelle Zarou, chief people and culture officer and deputy general counsel at the Sisters of St. Francis.

Part of St. Clair Street will be closed Thursday for the first of the season’s weekly Lunch at Levis events.

St. Clair will be closed between Madison Avenue and the Port Lawrence Garage entrance from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. each Thursday through Oct. 1, city transportation officials said. Access to the garage will be maintained from Jefferson Avenue.

The events in Levis Square Park feature live music, lawn games, and up to 17 food trucks each week.

Disc golf doesn’t get the national TV airtime of some other sports, but one person who occasionally tunes in is Maumee resident Jim Stengle. 

“The reason I stream is to watch a guy I grew up with’s son compete on an international level,” Mr. Stengle said.  

Armed with that knowledge of the game, Mr. Stengle has joined a group of residents opposing the proposed location of a disc golf course in Maumee.

The project is to be constructed in a wooded area east of Side Cut Metropark between Ford Street and Conant Street. According to a presentation shared by the city of Maumee, clearing the necessary space and constructing the course will cost $19,000. 

“I have no problem with a disc golf course going somewhere in Maumee. I just don’t think that is the proper place,” said Mr. Stengle, who lives near the site. 

Two paths cut through the area, the Towpath Trail and the Riverwalk Trail, and the course would unfold in the wooded area between these two paths. 

Clearing the way

Mr. Stengle mentioned some of the other disc golf courses in the area — like those at Woodlands Park in Perrysburg, Ottawa Park in Toledo, and Mary Jane Thurston State Park near Grand Rapids, Ohio. He said the open layouts of those places are dramatically different than what the Maumee site would be. 

“None of the courses that are in the area are literally going through an area which in the spring is a floodplain,” he said. “ ... And it is natural wildlife habitat, which is loaded with animals. I walk or ride my bike by that area almost daily.”

The resident said he frequently sees deer, rabbits, and snakes on his visits. 

Since the area is so wooded, though, complete with trees and brush, Mr. Stengle questions how much of it is actually going to be cleared. 

“What I am aware is being proposed is you put 18 of these holes through there with baskets and a concrete tee box, and then you cut a swath 6 feet wide, where you clear it out and people throw their Frisbees. I ask the question ‘What happens if all the Frisbees go off into the deep stuff?’” he said. 

Given the presence of animals, he worries that rabbit and snake habitats might get disturbed, and increased activity might scare off the deer.

According to the presentation shared by the city of Maumee, those environmental considerations will be taken into account. 

“This course will be designed with a strong emphasis on environmental stewardship and minimal site disturbance,” the document says. “... Wildlife considerations are central to the project. The course will avoid known nesting areas, dens, and critical habitats, and construction will be scheduled outside of sensitive breeding seasons when applicable.” 

Hatching an idea

Josh Sprow, Maumee police chief, played a big role in getting the project to the point it is currently. The effort is a few years old, he said, and was born out of past requests from residents asking whether a couple temporary holes could be set up in a city park. 

“It was one of the things where I felt that would be a good location,” Chief Sprow said, noting past cleanup efforts of the riverfront planted the seed that that area could be developed in some way. 

The chief has come to know disc golf as an easy and inexpensive sport to get into — one that can be played by anyone from age 8 to 80.  He said he feels the area is more open than you might think as the seasonal flooding ensures that only some plants can survive. He said the course would remain as wooded as possible to give it more character. 

“I’ve played disc golf at other state parks and stuff, and it is always more fun and challenging when you’re playing through a wooded area versus just like an open field,” he said. 

Chief Sprow said the city has consulted with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources and the Toledo Zoo’s Wild Toledo program in its preliminary planning stages to ensure that environmental concerns are being met. 

“It is not clear-cutting stuff,” Chief Sprow said. “ ... There’s 35 of these [disc golf courses] in Ohio that are in the state parks and they’re able to work with the state to figure out what makes sense without having a big impact on the wildlife.”  

Meetings with Wild Toledo also yielded the information that some of the plants in the potential course area are invasive. Putting in the course could be an opportunity to reintroduce more native species to that area, the chief said. He added that the riverfront site is one of the only city-owned areas he knows of that is big enough to fit an 18-hole course.    

Costs and effects

Bob Savage, Jr., who lives near the site, raised a concern that $19,000 doesn’t seem like enough to get the job done. 

“It seemed low just to clean up the area, let alone to put something in,” Mr. Savage said. “Off the cuff, it doesn’t seem like enough to do either of those things. I know the city has just gone through a park audit of all seven city parks, and then the parks and rec commission has come up with a list of priorities for all the parks. I think that is a good and wise thing to do, but there are improvements needed a lot of places.”  

Chief Sprow said that enlisting Maumee’s service department to complete the work on the course would be one factor keeping the cost down. 

Other Maumee residents are taking a more measured approach.

“My first gut reaction was it sounds great, doesn’t sound like it is going to disturb much,” Karla Lewis said. “It is not like you have thousands of people that are playing the game at once. So it’s not like you’re going to have everything trampled down.” 

Like Mr. Stengle, Ms. Lewis said she does question whether the river-adjacent property is the right place for the disc golf course and is interested in learning more about the project in the coming weeks. 

A public meeting before Maumee council’s Building, Lands, and Recreation Committee will be held at 4 p.m. Monday in Maumee City Council chambers for those interested to voice their opinions before council votes whether to move forward. 

Maumee Councilman Scott Sund said that he is still deciding which way he wants to vote. 

“I understand both sides,” Mr. Sund said. “I think it will draw in business when they do tournaments that will get people coming to town. They will eat here. We have hotels here. But I also understand trying to conserve a wild space ... a small one that we have on the river.” 

Mr. Sund said the course’s season would be adjusted to account for wet conditions and flooding, likely opening later in the year toward the summer. Chief Sprow added that removable baskets have been discussed that would just be taken out during the cold and wet months. 

Mr. Sund is on the Building, Lands, and Recreation Committee with two fellow recently elected councilmen. Mr. Sund said it took some time to get up to speed on projects like the disc golf one, since it first came up under the previous iteration of council. 

“Even if we didn’t have five new council members, it would still be an adjustment. There is a lot to learn,” Mr. Sund said. “With five of us, it is a little more difficult, but we are all settling into this, and I believe we are all doing a good job.”  

Homes featured on the Old West End Festival tours are rarely repeated, but the historic home at 624 Delaware Ave. will return to the lineup for the 53rd annual event.

Dubbed the 624 Delaware Revitalization Project — and part of last year’s lineup — the historic home has been the focus of a five-year effort by the Old West End Association Preservation Committee, with support from the Lucas County Land Bank. The complete makeover has included a new roof, floors, gutters, exterior wood restoration, mold remediation, and landscaping.

“Last year was important for people to see how far we had come, and it was still in pretty rough shape,” said Michael Walker, co-chairman of the house tours. “It was important to have this particular house on again, so that people can see the difference. ... You would have thought we were never going to save the floors, and we didn’t have the kitchen in last year. There’s been a lot of really great changes for people to see.” 

Volunteers have been working to preserve and refresh the home leading up to the festival on Saturday and Sunday, he said. Mr. Walker asks people who visit the home to have an open mind since there are still some projects left to finish. But not too long after the festival ends this year, the goal is to sell it and “hopefully get a homeowner in there that loves it.”

“People love the architecture of the Old West End,” said Dan Finkel, the festival’s public relations chairman. “Getting to go inside someone else’s house is kind of fun, too. Instead of just driving by, you get to go inside and look at the house and see the architecture on the inside as well as the out.” 

House tours have been part of the festival since the very beginning, Mr. Finkel said. Tickets are $25 to view all six houses and can be purchased at toledooldwestend.com/house-tours. 

The houses selected come from knocking on doors, phoning a friend, or even asking a neighbor if they’re interested in putting their house on tour. The process of finding which houses to tour the following year starts pretty soon after the festival concludes. 

And although the 624 Delaware house has been toured before, Mr. Walker said highlighting the home a second year in a row was a must for this year’s event. 

“For me, this is going to be the first of whatever we do next,” he said of the revitalization project. “If we don’t even buy another house, we’re going to have some money once we sell this to maybe help people out with roofs or help people out in the neighborhood. This is the first big project that we’re going to be able to make money from and move on to other projects to help preserve, because we are the largest collection of Victorian and Edwardian homes east of the Mississippi River.” 

Other festival attractions 

The King Wamba Parade is a special aspect of the festival, Mr. Finkel said, with roughly 75 different groups participating in the fun. The parade starts on Saturday at 10 a.m. at Robinwood Avenue and Collins Street. 

The coronation of King Wamba and Queen Sancha will take place this year on the Toledo Museum of Art’s front steps around noon on Saturday. 

Children’s activities at the festival are hosted by the Toledo Museum of Art and Imagination Station, Mr. Finkel said. Balloon twisting, an obstacle course bounce house, and face painting will also be on site. 

“If you like the history, there’s the home tours. If you like art, there’s an art fair,” he continued. “If you like to shop, there’s the marketplace, and there are yard sales galore. If you like to drink beer, we’ve got a beer garden. If you like music, we have two different music stages. If you like food, we’ve got over 20 food trucks. ... It’s such a diverse amount of activities that you’ll find something for everyone.” 

A 21-year-old man was shot and injured in West Toledo.

Just before 9:15 p.m. Tuesday, police responded to the intersection of Secor Road and McGregor Lane  to investigate a report of shots fired. 

First crews on scene found a car at the intersection with bullet holes in it. They learned that after his car was hit by gunfire the victim jumped into another car and was taken to Mercy Health St. Anne Hospital.

The man had gunshot wounds to the abdomen and was subsequently taken to ProMedica Toledo Hospital.

US Coast Guard divers arrived in the Bahamas Tuesday evening to begin their renewed search for missing American woman Lynette Hooker, whose disappearance has prompted a federal criminal investigation, a US official familiar with the investigation tells CNN.

Lynnette Hooker, a 55-year-old mother and sailor, has been missing since early April. Her husband, Brian Hooker, told authorities at the time that she fell from an 8‑foot dinghy while the couple was navigating rough waters near the Bahamas’ Abaco Islands, according to police.

The Coast Guard announced it had opened a criminal investigation into Lynette Hooker’s disappearance on April 8, three days after she vanished. No suspect has been publicly identified in the federal investigation and her body has not been recovered.

The renewed search effort was set in motion last week after investigators found inconsistencies between the husband’s location data and his statements to investigators about where to search for his wife and where they had traveled that evening, the official told CNN.

The Royal Bahamas Police Force granted permission to the Coast Guard to search an area of the Sea of Abaco, which envelops the island Brian Hooker said they were sailing to, Elbow Cay, the official said.

It is unclear when divers will enter the water. The search may be hindered by thunderstorms moving through the area Tuesday afternoon through Wednesday night.

As the Coast Guard has worked to collect more evidence, it has requested DNA samples from Lynette Hooker’s relatives, Hooker’s daughter, Karli Aylesworth, told CNN. The daughter and Lynette Hooker’s parents provided mouth swab samples Thursday.

Brian Hooker reported his wife missing April 5, telling investigators she fell overboard the evening prior as they were navigating through choppy water back to their yacht, “Soulmate.”

Authorities say Brian Hooker told them the dinghy lost power because she had the engine safety key when she fell. Lynette Hooker’s daughter says he later left her a voicemail saying he threw a flotation device after his wife.

Bahamian police arrested Brian Hooker as a suspect in his wife’s disappearance and questioned him repeatedly. He was released without being charged and has returned to the United States.

Brian Hooker has consistently denied any wrongdoing in connection with his missing wife. His attorney, Terrel Butler, declined to comment last week on the new search request, also citing the ongoing investigation.

The Michigan couple, both US nationals, had been sailing together for more than a decade, documenting their life at sea on social media. They were navigating the Bahamas on their yacht when the incident happened.

After her mother’s disappearance, Aylesworth cast skepticism on her stepfather’s account of what happened. She was confident her mother is an experienced sailor and capable swimmer who was not likely to be swept away by strong waters.

But Brian Hooker’s attorney has denied Aylesworth’s accusations, saying in April he was cooperating with investigators. Butler told CNN that authorities have not presented her with evidence her client may have committed wrongdoing.

Judge Myron Duhart will be honored June 4 with the Erie Shores Council Distinguished Alumnus Award.

The award, presented at the council’s 100th Annual Scouter Recognition Dinner, is given to alumni who have used their scouting skills to make a positive and lasting impact in their profession and community, organizers said.

A Toledo native, Judge Duhart served in the U.S. Army and later as a lieutenant in the Army Judge Advocate General Corps. He practiced law in northwest Ohio before being appointed to the Lucas County Court of Common Pleas in 2011 and later to the Sixth District Court of Appeals.

He has also remained engaged with the local community through mentorship, teaching, and service, organizers said. 

“I am truly humbled and honored to receive the Council Distinguished Alumnus Award,” said Judge Duhart. “The values of service, leadership, integrity, and helping others are lessons that stay with you throughout your life.”

Nighttime filming will close two streets in the Harvard Terrace neighborhood for a series of nights starting Thursday, the Toledo Department of Transportation announced.

University Boulevard and Cornell Drive will be closed from 6 p.m. until 6 a.m. on Thursday and Friday nights this week as well as the nights of June 10 through 12 and June 14, officials said.

Officials from FilmToledo were unable to discuss which production company was going to be filming in the Harvard Terrace neighborhood.

Access to residences will be maintained, but no detour routes posted.

Sylvania-based Rocky Ridge Development LLC was allegedly disposing of spent lime and solid waste at a quarry in Ottawa County, despite a court order prohibiting the company from operating there.

In an affidavit signed by Josh Rammel, a special agent with the Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation, the state agent said he believes there is sufficient evidence that Rocky Ridge and its owner, Charles Stansley, were dumping solid waste in violation of the Ohio Revised Code.

The investigation started in November when the Ohio BCI’s environmental enforcement unit was asked by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to investigate the company for potential violations of the Clean Water Act and additional violations of the Ohio Revised Code at multiple locations in Ohio.

Those locations included the Rocky Ridge Quarry in Graytown, an unincorporated community in Ottawa County’s Benton Township.

Between Jan. 8 and Jan. 14, multiple interviews were conducted by the Ohio BCI and the Ohio Environmental Protection Agency.

It was during those interviews that state agents learned that the company was allegedly using the quarry to dispose of spent lime, which is a byproduct of the drinking water treatment process. The material is a result of the water filtration process conducted by the cities of Oregon and Toledo’s water treatment plants.

Rocky Ridge does have a contract for the disposal of spent lime under the Ohio EPA, the affidavit states.

However, the quarry was under a court order to have no active operation or personnel on the property after a 2019 ruling by the Ottawa County Common Pleas Court, which was upheld by the Ohio 6th District Court of Appeals. The Ohio Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal, supporting the lower courts’ decision.

One interview in the affidavit appears to be from an employee. The name is redacted, but the source told investigators that Mr. Stansley purchased property at 2322 Consaul St. in East Toledo. The same source told investigators that Mr. Stansley was remediating the property, which was formerly a brownfield site, by removing all solid waste and vegetation.

The redacted source told investigators that “they and their partner were directed to ‘scrape the top layer of vegetation’ and remove only the solid waste that was visible on the property.” That person said the solid waste was then transported to the Graytown quarry and “used to construct the berms of the quarry’s property.”

A berm is a raised ridge or artificial embankment built to act as a barrier or stabilizing slope along the edge of a quarry.

The redacted source claimed there were “‘at least’ 20 scrap tires, semitruck and car parts, engine blocks, and vehicle bumpers” buried at the quarry for the berm.

The source stated that Mr. Stansley would be present at the quarry and direct employees where to bury the solid waste items “so that they could not be seen.”

“Based on my training and experiences, and the training and experience of other law enforcement personnel, water pollution environmental violations may occur when buried solid waste makes contact with water such as precipitation over time,” Mr. Rammel’s affidavit says. “This mixture of water and solid waste can create leachate which is liquid containing contaminants from the solid wastes.”

The leachate can seep into groundwater and migrate downhill and “discharge into streams or other tributaries, drainage systems, and other waters,” which causes water pollution, violating the Ohio Revised Code.

The source also indicated Rocky Ridge was hauling drinking water treatment material from Oregon’s water treatment plant and burying it at the quarry.

“Drivers would take dried lime sludge and bring it to the Rocky Ridge Quarry at ‘random times’ and bury it at the ‘backside’ of the property without proper handling” by the Ohio EPA’s legal requirements, the source said.

Neither Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz nor Oregon Mayor Steven Salander responded to requests for comment Tuesday night.

The affidavit includes images that show bulldozers near the quarry property, the berm of the quarry where the solid waste was allegedly moved from Consaul Street, and semitrucks dumping material on the ground before leaving the quarry. It also includes images from law enforcement that followed trucks filled with spent lime from Oregon’s water treatment plant to the quarry on Sept. 2.

Drone footage captured in September shows the progression of a dump truck present at the quarry being loaded with spent lime before transporting the sludge to retention ponds at the quarry. The footage shows the dump truck disposing of the sludge by a retention pond before a bulldozer is seen spreading the unmixed lime sludge over land that previously was a retention pond.

According to the legal requirements of Mr. Stansley’s Ohio EPA agreement, the lime sludge needs to be mixed with soil at a consistency of 65 percent soil and 35 percent spent lime before it is allowed to be applied to the ground for agricultural purposes, according to the affidavit.

On Friday, the state BCI and EPA executed a search warrant for the quarry in Graytown. Mr. Stansley has not been charged with any wrongdoing.

The FBI’s Cleveland Division was also on the scene in Graytown on Friday. The division conducted a separate search at a business on Silica Road in Sylvania Township.

According to court records, the only item seized from the Graytown property was a potential spent lime sample from the quarry.

Chris Parker, the lawyer representing Rocky Ridge, declined to comment, saying he had not seen the affidavit.

Although the company formerly disposed of Toledo’s spent lime, that contract has ended. The federal and state searches come as Toledo City Council is tasked with deciding whether the company should be awarded a new deal to haul away the city’s spent lime.

Utility work will close parts of two Toledo streets Wednesday, the Toledo Department of Transportation announced.

Martha Avenue will be closed in both directions between Berdan Avenue and Kane Street, while southbound Franklin Avenue will be closed between Bancroft and Prescott streets.

No detour routes will be posted.

Toledo City Council members are reluctant to move forward with a contract for spent lime removal following the execution of search warrants at properties tied to a leading bidder.

The proposed contract would authorize $5.5 million annually to remove, haul, and reuse spent lime that is generated by the Collins Park Water Treatment Plant.

The proposal comes as the city enters the peak season for spent lime removal and days after state and federal investigators searched properties owned by Rocky Ridge Development LLC as part of an investigation into alleged illegal dumping of solid wastes.

“We are two months behind,” Council President Vanice Williams said. “We’re already in a hole; if we don’t start moving soon, we’re going to put ourselves in a yearlong hole.”

Rocky Ridge faced scrutiny last year after city officials said it was conducting mining activities at a site not zoned for mining operations. Council members also cited the recent searches.

Councilman George Sarantou said those developments should prompt the city to consider other contract options.

“I just have a real concern that we don’t have enough information,” Mr. Sarantou said.

He pointed to Pohlkat LLC, the second-lowest bidder, arguing that the company has similar experience working with municipalities and private industries throughout Ohio.

“There was virtually no difference in their bid,” Mr. Sarantou said. “They seem to be a reputable company.”

Megan Robson, chief of operations for the city of Toledo, clarified that three companies submitted bids and that Rocky Ridge was the lowest bidder.

“However, the legislation that is in front of council is authorizing the expenditure of an amount not to exceed $5.5 million in order for us to remove that spent lime,” Ms. Robson said. “We have not entered into a contract with any of the three bidders that responded to that proposal.”

Ms. Robson also acknowledged the concerns raised about Rocky Ridge.

“We select the lowest and best; that is the language according to our procurement process,” Ms. Robson said. “Given the news and in light of the situation that occurred on Friday, we are having conversations internally to determine what options we have to move forward with this.”

If council does not approve the legislation, the city may need to rebid the project, further delaying removal efforts.

“We know that we have to deal with that,” said Councilman Cerssandra McPherson. “We also have to be clear that we have to look at what is going on with Rocky Ridge so that it doesn’t look like council is approving something that we already know that shouldn’t be happening.”

“We have an obligation to remove spent lime, so we want to make sure we can do that appropriately,” Ms. Robson said.

The spent lime contract will be on the agenda for next week.

Maumee resident Tonia Gerity thinks Democratic candidates should focus on the value of workers as November's general election approaches.

“It doesn’t matter what kind of work it is,” she said. “They need to value the work. The cost of living, there are some people that, even though they work hard, they cannot support their families.”

A former teacher and longtime Democratic voter, she is spending her retirement supporting candidates she feels will do just that.

“I love what Sherrod Brown stands for,” she said. “I love that he values workers. I love that he loves this country and the state. I feel like he’s a hard worker.”

Former Democratic U.S. Sen. Sherrod Brown held a campaign event at Riverside Barbeque Company in North Toledo on Tuesday.

About 70 people attended Tuesday’s event, sitting at tables lined with campaign signs supporting the candidate. As he took to the stage, many cheered while waving the blue and yellow placemats. 

The event began just hours after his campaign launched its latest advertisement, which features the former senator calling for an end to congressional stock trading.

“Members of Congress and their spouses should be banned from trading stocks,” Mr. Brown says in the advertisement. “And if you serve in Congress, you should never be able to cash in and become a lobbyist.”

He echoed that message at Tuesday’s event. Afterward, when asked if he thinks the proposal would pass in Congress, the Democrat was optimistic.

“I’ve been working on this for 10 years, and we have seen the number of votes grow,” Mr. Brown said. “People are looking out for special interests, when they do stock trading … and we’re going to keep fighting on that until we pass it.”

Mr. Brown delivered his brief remarks while in front of a collage of placards printed with galvanizing phrases like “fighting for Ohio” and “workers before billionaires.”

The branding carried over into the candidate’s remarks, reiterating that “nobody in Washington is fighting for Ohioans.”

The former senator is attempting to make a comeback to the U.S. Senate after losing his re-election bid in 2024. He is campaigning against U.S. Sen. Jon Husted (R., Ohio), who was appointed to Vice President JD Vance’s Senate seat in 2025.

Despite Mr. Husted’s lengthy career in Ohio politics, recent polling conducted by Bowling Green State University indicates that voters are unfamiliar with Ohio’s former lieutenant governor.

And Mr. Brown is using that as an advantage.

“Now you don’t know a lot about Jon Husted,” he said to Tuesday’s crowd. “But you know he was a special interest guy in the state government.”

Mr. Brown continued to attack Mr. Husted for “looking out for utility companies,” a nod to Ohio’s largest public corruption scandal known as House Bill 6, which occurred while Mr. Husted was lieutenant governor. However, Mr. Husted has not been accused of any wrongdoing.

Mr. Brown also criticized Mr. Husted for his vote in favor of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and against lowering premium costs under the Affordable Care Act.

In contrast, Mr. Brown highlighted his own record, sponsoring the Butch Lewis Act, which provided financial assistance for certain pension plans that are underfunded, and the Social Security Fairness Act, which restored Social Security benefits for public employees.

While Mr. Brown is running on his record, Mr. Husted’s campaign said that is the reason why voters “fired him.”

"Sen. Brown spent more than 50 years in office raising prices and failing hardworking Ohio families,”  said Amy Natoce, a spokesman for Mr. Husted’s campaign.

“Jon Husted is fixing what Sen. Brown broke. Husted voted to give Ohioans the largest tax cut in American history, and is helping Ohio families keep more of what they earn,” she added, defending Mr. Husted’s vote for the One Big Beautiful Bill. “If Sen. Brown wants to know who is responsible for healthcare costs under Obamacare, he needs to look in the mirror — he's the one that championed it!"

Despite Mr. Brown’s record, a majority of Ohio voters supported his opponent in 2024. When asked if the candidate was approaching this campaign differently, he continued to echo his history in the Senate.

“Ohio doesn’t have a voice in Washington,” he reiterated. “[Ohio doesn’t have] anybody speaking out against this war [with Iran]. You don’t have anybody fighting for lower prices … I will do that. It’s been my history. It’s what I will do, and people know it.”

Toledo residents could gain free access to city pools during periods of extreme heat under a proposal being considered by Toledo City Council.

While the city has previously offered free admission or extended pool hours during heat waves, the resolution would establish a formal policy.

Councilman Mac Driscoll said Tuesday that city pools should be used as resources to help residents stay safe when temperatures reach dangerous levels.

“We have this community asset,” Mr. Driscoll said. “It makes sense to me to use that.”

Under the proposal, a heat emergency would be defined as heat index values of 105 degrees or higher that are expected to last for more than two hours a day.

Mr. Driscoll further emphasized the importance of free pool admission for families who may not be able to afford the fees.

“The pool admission is relatively low but maybe not for everybody,” he said.

In response to concerns about losing money, Mr. Driscoll restated the purpose of city-owned spaces.

“We lose money on all of those, but the logic behind them is that these are a community asset,” said Mr. Driscoll. “Pools are among those, and we are going to do work to try to help people cool off.”

He additionally presented statistics on past heat emergency dates where the waiver would have been implemented.

“In 2022 there were five days that would qualify; in 2023 there were six; in 2024 there were nine; and in 2025 there were seven,” Mr. Driscoll said. “So we’re not talking about most of the summer — a very small part of the summer.”

He finally emphasized the importance of passing the resolution quickly as temperatures continue to rise.

“All of those heat emergency days in the last couple of years have occurred in late June, so there is some sense of immediacy to doing this.”

The resolution to waive admission fees to all city-owned public swimming pools during declared heat emergencies will be on the agenda next week.

The City of Toledo is expanding its Let’s Get Moving series to introduce additional morning walks and community fitness events.

The expanded offerings are in honor of the five year anniversary of the program, said Amy Voigt, a city spokesman.

Residents can be active and engaged with their community free of charge. All events are open to the public.

On June 27 the series will host an anniversary celebration from 9 a.m. to noon at Walbridge Park, 2791 Broadway St. The free event includes a community walk, wellness actives, resource tables, and speakers, Ms. Voigt said.  

For more information on Let’s Get Moving or to register for the city’s Park Quest Explore More program, go to toledo.oh.gov. Explore More offers residents the opportunity to earn points and incentives while tracking the progress they make in physical fitness. 

COLUMBUS — Lucas County is set to receive $5.7 million of the $208.3 million set aside for community projects in the Ohio General Assembly’s newly introduced capital budget.

Senate Bill 450 has already been negotiated by legislative leaders in both chambers, Ohio Senate Finance Committee Chairman Jerry Cirino (R., Kirtland) said following the bill’s first hearing on Tuesday. The legislation is expected to pass in the Ohio Senate on Wednesday, and it’s likely to be considered on the Ohio House floor on June 9 or June 10. 

State Sen. Paula Hicks-Hudson (D., Toledo) said while she’s never completely satisfied with any capital budget, she’s happy to see funding for projects to address homelessness, mental health care, and parks. 

“In general, not all of them got what they asked for, but many got something,” Ms. Hicks-Hudson said.

“Overall, the projects that were funded were the ones that met my internal concern about mental health, housing, and things like that,” she continued. “Those are the big issues facing us in northwest Ohio.”

Mr. Cirino said there is always more funding requested than can be approved. 

“We worked closely with House Finance Committee Chairman Brian Stewart (R., Ashville) evaluating and prioritizing key projects around the state to make sure this community-based budget is fiscally responsible,” Mr. Cirino said. 

Mr. Stewart said all 88 counties will receive funding for community projects under the bill.

“This capital budget is well-rounded with support for local projects that equally prioritizes both rural and urban communities across Ohio,” Mr. Stewart said.

In total, the capital budget includes $3.7 billion to pay for infrastructure improvements across the state. The projects in the bill are largely funded through the sale of bonds.

“The capital budget provides critical funds for many construction and maintenance programs for state agencies ranging from schools to state parks,” Ohio Senate President Rob McColley (R., Napoleon) said. “These are projects that people notice, use, and expect.”

Lucas County projects

The following projects are among those in Lucas County receiving funding:

● The Toledo Museum of Art will receive $750,000 for capital improvements to the Glass Pavilion, including LED film design, engineering, prototyping, fabrication, and installation. According to the Toledo Regional Chamber of Commerce, the total project cost is $4 million, and the requested amount was $2 million. 

● The Toledo Summit Riverfront project will receive $750,000 to support the reconstruction of a one-mile section of the Maumee Bay shoreline, embankment, and multiuse trail along North Summit Street from the Point Place lighthouse. The total project cost is $14.1 million, and the amount requested was $2 million.

● The Toledo Valentine Theatre will receive $500,000 for capital improvements such as alarm panel replacement, HVAC replacement, new carpet, and wall restoration. The amount requested was $889,868 — the total project cost.

● Cherry Street Mission and Mission Point will receive $407,500 to address poverty and homelessness. Cherry Street Mission had requested nearly $1.4 million for a $2.8 million project for various infrastructure upgrades. Mission Point requested $1.5 million for a $20.8 million project supporting the initial construction of a 65-unit housing development for the chronically homeless.  

● The Sylvania Area Joint Recreation District will receive $500,000 to support the creation of an inclusive playground at Pacesetter Park. The total project cost is $1.2 million, and the amount requested was $750,000.

Wood County projects

Wood County received $2.1 million for community projects.

The following projects are among those receiving funding in the capital budget:

● The city of Bowling Green will receive $700,000 to support the construction of a law enforcement training center. The total cost of the project is $2.5 million, and the amount requested was $1.5 million.

● The city of Northwood will receive $300,000 to support the construction of an inclusive playground. The total cost of the project is $900,000, and the amount requested was $300,000.

● The Wood County Port Authority will receive $250,000 for the Chessie Circle Trail extension project. The total cost of the project is $1 million, and the requested amount was $204,733. 

“We extend our sincere appreciation to our state legislators for their leadership and steadfast support of projects that strengthen work force development, public safety, and quality of life across northwest Ohio,” said Brian Dicken, vice president of advocacy and strategic initiatives for the Toledo Chamber.

“These investments help position the Toledo region for long-term economic growth by creating communities where businesses can thrive and people want to live, work, and raise their families,” Mr. Dicken said. 

Statewide funding

Statewide, the capital budget will make appropriations for the renovation, reconstruction, and construction of capital assets of state agencies, colleges, universities, and school districts.

“It also funds a program of grants and loans to local governments for infrastructure projects throughout the state,” Ohio Office of Budget and Management Director Kim Murnieks said. 

Under the bill, $611 million will go to school construction projects, and $425 million will go to institutions of higher education.

The Ohio Public Works Commission will receive $645 million, while the Ohio Department of Behavioral Health will receive $385 million. 

The Ohio Department of Natural Resources will receive $265 million.

Lucas County commissioners have hired a new director of economic development and a director of the office of management and budget.

On Monday, the commissioners approved the hiring of Jamie Beier Grant as the county’s economic development director, replacing Matt Heyrman, who stepped down from his position in March to take a position at the Greater Toledo Community Foundation. Ms. Grant will be paid $165,000 in the position.

James Hayes was hired as the director of the commissioners office of management and budget, and will succeed John Wenzlick, who resigned in December to focus on his business and legal endeavors. Mr. Hayes will also be paid $165,00 annually for the position, commissioners said.